The Future Looks CocoRosie

By Sarah Cobarrubias in Arts & Entertainment on Apr 23, 2010 7:40PM

CocoRosie is often categorized as ‘freak folk,’ but we find it hard to place them in any one genre. The duo, composed of sisters Sierra and Bianca Casady, blend jazz, soul, pop and drowsy hip-hop beats for the kind of romantic, sensual music that makes you feel like you should be dancing in the rain in slow motion. But their songs also convey innocence; the sisters often incorporate the sounds of toys and animals and deliver nonsensical stream-of-consciousness lyrics with vulnerable, childlike vocals.

In fact, their whole lives are like a strange dream. The sisters spent their childhoods as nomads, moving to a new city almost every year with their mother, who nicknamed them Rosie (Sierra) and Coco (Bianca), and spending summers with their father on Indian reservations while he took vision quests. They lost contact with each other when Sierra moved to Paris and Bianca stayed behind in New York. But five years later, Bianca unexpectedly showed up at Sierra’s Paris apartment, and they spent the next couple months holed up in the bathroom (the most acoustic room) recording their first album, La maison de mon rêve.

Now, they’re about to release their fourth album, Grey Oceans, due out May 11. It’s more focused and tangible than any of their previous albums, with songs that actually sound composed rather than like a couple kids messing around with toys and keyboards. Take, for example, their recently released single “Lemonade,” which is perhaps the poppiest song we’ve heard from them yet. It opens softly with twinkling synth, layering on piano, Bianca’s raspy vocals and a steady synth beat until it climaxes in a jazzy chorus. There are other notable tracks on this album, like “Hopscotch” and “Smokey Taboo,” but the most stunning track is perhaps its closer “Here I Come.” It’s rife with soul and at moments even sounds like gospel, except for the choppy looped beat and distorted, masculine vocals.

Though CocoRosie’s sound has obviously matured in the three years since their last release, The Adventures of Ghosthorse and Stillborn, they still maintain their experimental style. Sure, they went light on the toy and animal sounds this time around, but they’ve managed to fluidly blend a variety of genres and have learned to use their different vocal stylings to at times contrast each other and at others harmonize. The sisters are currently on tour in support of Grey Oceans and will be making a stop at the Metro June 18. But don’t wait too long to buy your tickets, because chances are this show will sell out fast.

CocoRosie plays Friday, June 18 at the Metro, 3730 N Clark, 9pm, $28, 18+